Where & When: What to Do This Weekend

Thursday, August 26It’s DC Beer Week! Get in on the debauchery tonight at the Reef in Adams Morgan for Oyster Fest. From 5 to 10, the under-the-sea-themed bar will serve 3,000 oysters to pair with seven beers from Rogue Ales. The kitchen is also whipping up some special dishes for the occasion. If bivalves aren’t your bag, head to the new Columbia Heights watering hole Meridian Pint for a beer tasting with Schlafly cofounder Dan Kopman, who’s pouring some of his brewery’s rarest varieties. For more Beer Week events, check out our roundup here.

Phillips After 5, the popular after-hours event at the Phillips Collection, says goodbye to summer (sniff) with an End of Summer White Party. From 5 to 8:30, you can enjoy live Latin-jazz performances, a gallery talk, and white-wine tastings. The event doesn’t specify it, but we imagine it’d be a good idea to wear, um, white. Free for Phillips members, $12 for nonmembers. Go here to reserve tickets.

Need to network? Head to Hudson tonight for a social-networking mixer aimed at young professionals looking to make connections. The event includes drink specials—$6 cocktails and $5 beers—complimentary hors d'oeuvres, and a drawing to win a free meal. 7 to 11.

Friday, August 27Grammy Award winner Tony Bennett brings his velvety vocals to Wolf Trap’s Filene Center tonight. Tickets for the 8 PM performance are $48 for the pavilion and $25 for the lawn. Get them here.

For a bit of culture, head to the sixth annual Poetry in the Park event at Carter Barron Amphitheatre. This year’s special guests are poet/musicians the Last Poets and the local hip-hop band the Cornel West Theory. The free event kicks off at 7:30. Also at Carter Barron this weekend: screenings of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (Saturday) and Invictus (Sunday), part of the Comcast Outdoor Film Festival. Movies start at 7:30. Details on all events are here.

Michael Jackson would have turned 52 on Sunday. You can celebrate the late pop icon’s birthday tonight at the 9:30 Club. DJ Dredd will spin MJ’s top solo hits along with Jackson 5 tunes and songs by other Jackson-family performers. Tickets are $15. 8 PM.

Spike your mohawk and head to the Black Cat’s No Control Punk-Rock Slam Dance party with DJs Denman and Steve EP. Combat boots are a must. Free. 9:30.

We really, really wish we were making this one up: Jon Gosselin of TLC reality-show fame (infamy?) is headlining a party at Ultrabar tonight. (We know, we know, we laughed out loud, too.) In case there are any fans left of the Ed Hardy-loving father of eight, here are the details: Gosselin is partying at the Penn Quarter club starting at 9. You can dance the night away to top 40, house music, and mash-ups on all four floors.

Saturday, August 28Wait, did we mention yet that it’s DC Beer Week? Tonight, RFD in Chinatown is hosting Firkin Spectacular, during which a $40 pass gets you access to the back room to sample whatever local brews you’d like—and as much of them as you’d like­—starting at 7. After 8, those without passes can order cask-conditioned beers up front for $5 each. The passes are limited; get them here while they last.

Grab a friend and a bike and head to Hill and Go Seek, a scavenger-hunt-style bike race through Capitol Hill. The event, hosted by Capitol Hill Bikes, features ten destinations. Teams of two win points for each one they reach, but be warned: Some locations require you to perform a trick or task. Winners will be announced at an after-party at H Street Country Club. Registration is $20 per team. Check-in begins at 3 at the Eastern Market Metro station; race starts at 5. Tickets to the after-party are $5, but race participants can get in for free. Register or get tickets here.

The first ever Annapalooza Music and Arts Festival is coming to the Anne Arundel County Fairgrounds today. The one-day festival showcases homegrown talent, with dozens of local musicians and artists participating. There will also be food and drinks available, including specialty cocktails. Tickets are $25 at the gate. Rain or shine; noon to 10.

The Maryland Renaissance Festival kicks off in Crownesville this weekend. Hosted in a recreated 16th-century English village called Revel Grove, the annual festival includes costumed villagers who man pubs, stages, food booths, and more than 130 craft shops. You can get into character, too—there’s a booth for adults and children to rent costumes. The kick-off weekend features magic acts, pub sings, jousts, archery demonstrations, and more. Tickets are $18 for adults, $8 for kids ages 7 to 15, free for under age 7. Go here for the full schedule. 10 to 7.

Also in Maryland this weekend is the Annapolis Tomato Festival at Homestead Gardens (743 W. Central Ave., Davidsonville; 410-798-5000). The event includes tomato tastings, a chili cookoff, salsa-making and pizza-eating contests, cooking demonstrations, and live music. Tickets are $10; kids under age ten are free. Proceeds go to the Annapolis Flower Program, which beautifies downtown Annapolis with hanging flower baskets and pots. Go here for more information. Noon to 6.

Start growing your facial hair now if you’re planning to attend DC9’s Fez & Moustache Party. DJs will spin dancey Balkan and klezmer music while patrons do their best to pretend they’re Eastern European. And don’t worry—the non-mustached are welcome, too. They’ll just have to wear one of the freebie ’staches handed out at the door. 9 PM. $5.

Sunday, August 29Alexandria Restaurant Week ends today, so we hope you made reservations. Sixty eateries are participating in the ten-day promotion, during which diners can score a $35 three-course dinner or dinner for two at Alexandria restaurants. A list of those participating is here.

Make a stop at the National Gallery of Art to see the American poet Allen Ginsberg’s photography exhibit, which runs through September 16. The show features 79 of Ginsberg’s photographs, with work—including some self-portraits—spanning several decades. The museum is open from 11 to 6.